Tortuga
Tortuga, also known as Tortuga Port, named by the Spanish after the turtle it resembled, was an island in the Caribbean, located north of Hispaniola. Of all the pirate islands in the Caribbean, none was the equal of Tortuga. Dangerous, boisterous, drunken, and bawdy, Tortuga was pirate heaven. Around the Age of Piracy, the isle of Tortuga became a major center of piracy in the 17th century. The island would serve as the ramshackle haven for pirates, rogues, scoundrels, outlaws and sailors in the Caribbean. Tortuga appeared to be free of governing reach and was generally a lawless place, and one of the only places a pirate considered to be "free" with the expansion of the East India Trading Company. One of the most popular places on the island was the Faithful Bride tavern. History 17th century Spanish planters began to cultivate Tortuga in 1598, with tobacco as their main crop, although there was not much fertile land to grow it on. They also tried planting sugar but it proved too costly a venture. In 1625 French and English colonist, who were early buccaneers, arrived on the island. First they lived on island of Hispaniola. They were constantly wandering from one location to another, until they finally found the Tortuga to be the safest place. The French and English colonists started setting up plantations and populated the island in a short time. They were temporary expelled as a potential treat to Spaniards when DonFabrique de Toledo attacked Tortuga in 1629. The encouraged army came back to Hispaniola, determined to root out every colonist, until not a single one remained. However, Spanish did not predict that scattered colonists would organize and return to the island and defeat small remains of Spanish force. and wenches in Tortuga.]] From 1630, the island of Tortuga was divided into French and English colonies. It provided a good base for buccaneers' attacks, as well as some other activities like slave trades. Tortuga saw two more successful Spanish raids in 1635 and 1638, and both times the buccaneers managed to regain goods. In 1639, in order to finally establish decent defense, as the governor of nearby Saint Christopher sent help in the form of Jean Le Vasseur who was promoted to the new governor of Tortuga. He built the stone fortress "Fort de Rocher" on a highest rise of the island. It was enforced with 40 guns and overlooked any vessels in or near the port. Until 1665 Tortuga was temporarily captured by the Spanish one more time, and than the island became a part of Saint Dominique colony. The new governor, Bertrand D'ogeron had difficulties to convince the buccaneers to accept him. However, he managed to develop Tortuga even more by organizing people and strengthening its defense. In following period, some of the greatest buccaneers such as Henry Morgan and Francois L'Ollonais launched attacks from Tortuga and became part of island history. From 1670, the most buccaneers found a new trade like log cutting and trading wood from the island, and many others continued their piracy on the ships of foreign nations. In 1684 a peace treaty was signed between France and Spain. Spain officially gave up Tortuga, as a part of Saint Dominique to France in 1697. 18th century in Tortuga.]] In 1701, a war erupted between France, Spain, Great Britain and Holland. Many pirates from Tortuga were employed by the French Royal Navy as privateers. When the war ended in 1713, many former privateers once again turned to piracy. Although piracy was officially abolished on Tortuga by the Treaty of Utrecht, thanks to the local governor Tortuga remained a safe heaven for pirates, smugglers, and all sorts of outlaws. In the early 1720s, a young sailor Jack Sparrow arrived in Tortuga, searching for his stolen sack. But instead of his own sack, he took the sack of the infamous pirate captain Torrents, which started a series of Sparrow's adventures around the Caribbean.Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow More than ten years later, Sparrow came to Tortuga again, this time as captain of the Wicked Wench, a ship which was raised from the sea floor by Davy Jones, the lord of the sea. Sparrow assembled a pirate crew in Tortuga, renamed his ship the Black Pearl, and sailed into new adventures.The Price of Freedom and Will Turner in Tortuga.]] In the 1740s, Tortuga would still be the pirate heaven of the Caribbean, during which time Jack Sparrow assembled another crew, with the help of Joshamee Gibbs, for a voyage to Isla de Muerta.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Jack and Gibbs would return to Tortuga a year later to recruit more crewmen as souls to settle Sparrow's debt with Davy Jones.Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest During the War of Jolly Roger, Roger's undead skeletons, led by general Hex, managed to occupy Tortuga Graveyard. Using their voodoo powers, they raised many dead inhabitants of Tortuga in an attempt to increase Roger's army. However, that was just a prelude to the full scale invasion led by Roger himself, which was repelled by buccaneers.Pirates of the Caribbean Online Shortly after the battle of Calypso's maelstrom, the Black Pearl made port in Tortuga. Hector Barbossa led a mutiny and commandeered the ship from its rightful owner, Jack Sparrow.Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Several years later, after Barbossa gained complete captaincy over Blackbeard's infamous flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, he ordered the [[Crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge|''Revenge's crew]] to set sail for Tortuga.Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' Location Of all the pirate islands in the Caribbean, none was the equal of Tortuga. Dangerous, boisterous, drunken, and bawdy, Tortuga is pirate heaven.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, p38. Named by the Spanish after the turtle it resembled, the island lies to the north of Hispaniola.The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook, p17. Tortuga served as the ramshackle haven for pirates, rogues, scoundrels, outlaws and sailors in the Caribbean. When someone like Captain Jack Sparrow goes off looking for a crew, they steer a course to this pirate port. Category:Ports Category:Tortuga locations Category:French colonies Category:Islands Category:Caribbean Sea locations